BTW - The pentatonics patterns course is great. I'm going through it and really enjoying it. I like the cut to the chase method of getting to where I can play rockin' solos. Thanks bro. Well worth the price of the course.
I played alto sax in high school band back in the '60s, and although I never had lessons, decades ago I stumbled across Sigurd Rascher's "Top Tones" book, but could never figure out how to do more than a couple overtones on the low Bb. From the '90s I slowly learned by trial and error in weekly church worship band rehearsals to do simple improv on alto and then tenor. Last year (at age 65), I found Jay's pentatonic courses, and committed to practice at least 15 minutes every day. I also took his advice on doing just a bit of overtone work in each practice session. After about three months, it just started to click and I started finding the altissimo notes. However, it's taken patience for a year to get to where I can now RELIABLY play all the altissimo notes on Jay's fingering chart and I'm getting close to actually using them live. It's basically the brain, the air flow, and the inner mouth muscles and tongue figuring out what they need to do to produce each note. For me, the proper positioning of the tongue along with that high intensity puff of air from the diaphragm to get the reed vibrating the overtone immediately is key. Practicing the overtones daily will help your body figure out what needs to happen for those higher tones. It's definitely NOT biting. And the correct hardness of the reed for the mouthpiece is also an important factor. Right now I'm having the most success on my tenor with a Vandoren V16 T7 mouthpiece and a Legere 2 1/4 reed. For daily altissimo practice, I love the consistency of the synthetic reed. So don't give up! You can crack the code!
@@bettersax Thanks, Jay. Your courses, regular videos (you went the extra mile with that Rigotti reed video!), and the Anytune Pro+ app for slowed down repetitive rehearsals of challenging licks have revolutionized my practice time. It's taken months for me to learn your Amazing Grace improv tiny piece by tiny piece, but when I first heard it I said "I need to learn that!" Through that piece I've learned fingering habits to facilitate clean playing of faster licks that I wish I'd learned decades ago.
Im kind of knew to the saxophone scene but.im getting better a lot faster that expected. Do you think with your experience that I should go for a better mouthpiece
I realize I'm two years late to this party, but... The one thing I find very helpful, that you didn't mention, is being able to "audialize" the notes you want to play. That is, you should be able to hear, in your mind's ear, the notes you're trying to play. Even with the fingerings, altissimo notes don't just pop out. You have to know what the note should sound like, and be able to adjust your embouchure and throat to make it speak. The long tones help train your muscle memory to be able to reproduce it on demand. (disclaimer: I've played or ~29 years, but I'm still just an amateur)
@@BrunoNeureiter Listen to the pitch in your head. It's the MOST important thing when singing or playing a brass instrument, it's slightly less important on woodwinds, but since altissimo deals with harmonics you really wanna imagine the pitch in your head (or audiate).
I hit altissimo G on the tenor for the first time while watching this video for the first time!!! Thank you so much for the insight! Been trying for over a year.
You are by far the most helpful instructor that I have found here on TH-cam so far. Thanks so much for your work and knowledge sharing, your videos help me immensely. I owe much of my duo's success to your digital mentorship! I'm starting to get my altissimo out thanks to this one! :)
So I play on Tenor Saxophone. I get up to high F and E perfectly fine without the palm keys. High F on the tenor is Concert Eb5 and High F# should be Concert E5. That doesn't happen for me because I go from High F to High F#, but it sounds more like Concert Eb5 to Concert C6. Does this happen to anyone else or am I just really really "lucky"?
I have several of the Better Sax courses and practice them daily. These are some of, if not the best courses for building solid core skills. I consider myself an intermediate level player and I still get a ton of great workouts from the pentatonic and improv courses. So I have to believe the info in this video and on the the worksheet will be helpful as well.
I just got a sax yesterday and have been having so much fun learning. I have been soaking in so much info from so many different people, and they are all great. Your stuff seems to be on another level though. I already signed up for the beginner course and the crash course (got the pentatonic scale memorized and looking forward to the next video) and I can see myself getting really stuck in and getting better. Keep up the great work!
I’ve been playing saxophone for a long time maybe 50 years professionally, and I recently changed from a hard rubber to a metal mouthpiece and suddenly I can get all the Altissimo notes but I couldn’t connect them until I did what you suggested of learning the front keys as opposed to the Palm keys. This allowed me to immediately connect all the notes from high E to the C above that. Now I need to check out the more in tune fingerings. thank you so much, great stuff!
Hi, I've got a Tenorsax Selmer Mark VI (SerieNr. 164XXX), and the fingering doesn't work to play high G. I am familiar with sharp f, but I use the "Alto-fingering " on my tenorsax. Do you have any suggestions for me to try other fingerings? Thanks and many greetings from Switzerland!
ive been trying to figure out how to play altissimo f# (fourth space above the staff) and my director is brass player so altissimo notes are not his speciality, im really hoping this f# works for my recital coming up which is My Heart Will Go On, scary high notes lol.
I’m confused, when I follow along with the fingerings in the video my sax plays a different note. I’m able to find the matching note but with different fingerings.. I’m new to the sax so I don’t know why this is… I have played clarinet for two years so I know how to make the sound, but am confused as to why my notes are different
I'm a bit stuck. I can get alt G no problem and have been using it for a year now but I can't get any notes higher than that. It feels like starting all over again. I try to hear the note in my head that im aiming for and have tried various fingerings but it just doesn't happen. Great lessons Jay. Thanks.
I owe you a debt of gratitude for this,I`ve been pinching for 30 years,always knew it was not correct b/c the overtones weren't present...I practicing according to your instruction here...need to get the "plaid" out but it`s coming..thanks again man..
I MUST TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR GOOD LESSONS! BEFOR,WNEN I WAS YUNGRE I PLAYED ON PIANO AND FLURE.WHEN I WAS 33 YEARS OLD I VE BAYED MY FIRST SAX B@S -GERMANY.AND I UNDERSTAND,THAT TENOR SOUND IS MY SOUND! AND I GO FOREWORD,TO BE BETTER DAY BY DAY! YOU ARE AN GOOD TEACHER!THANKS AGAIN!
Thank you very much for the video. I especially appreciate the last tip, ie. to work on something else and be better at it first. Horse before the cart. However, this Altissimo bugger is driving me crazy. As soon as I drive past the F#, I hit the ceiling, and I wanted the G and G#. Various fingering charts I tried ended up with indifferent results. The reason is explained in this video. Because I am so attached to the Palm keys to hit the F#, to suddenly change all that finger positions for G and G# become a chaotic event. The author's suggestion to abandon the Palm keys and use the front keys makes much sense. It is a paradigm shift, but I believe it is a worthwhile investment.
Lately ive been having so much trouble play the altissimo range on the clarinet and ive just tried playing the notes on my tenor sax and they seem quite easy 🤷♂️
hey man! thanks for the instructions. I'm trying to hit altissimo E using the f key but pressing down button #3 covers the top octave hole. I'm able to hit altissimo F# easily though. What do you think is the problem?
If it is, it is only a small part of the problem. While you should upgrade at some point to a better mouthpiece, that alone will not get the altissimo notes out right away. It takes time on any mouthpiece so be patient and watch my other videos on the subject.
Thank you for this video. I’m a professional clarinettist, needing to improve my sax skills for an upcoming show. Finally got the feeling in embouchure needed for altissimo after watching your tutorial 😊
Wow. What a great video. I've struggled with these high notes for years! This video really simplified and clarified what I need to do differently! Thanks so much. I'll let you know how it works out for me.
As usual a very helpful and well explained lesson Jay. Don't know how you managed to publish it in the middle of Thanksgiving celebrations. If that ain't called dedication, I don't know what it is :)
@@bettersax Thanks. My two favorite saxes I play, an alto and a tenor, do not have a front f key. I started playing them nearly 50 years ago, but have never figured out how to get an altissimo G. I can reliably get F#, A, C# and D using my own experimentation. Do you have an alternate fingering for G?
I know this came out 2 years ago, if you find yourself every replying does the alto also work for Bari Sax? Or is their a Bari Sax one somewhere else online, I am trying to spend my summer practicing Overtones and Altissimo before I go back to school? If you find this and reply, that would be great and thank you :)
PLEASE Help. When I try to download your attachments, I get the fingering chart but can't get the exercises. I don't know what I am doing wrong. I love all your videos by the way. Thanks so much for helping us by sharing your expertise.
Nice balancing between voice and sax. Too many other instructional vids are "(mumble mumble) HONK HONK (mumble mumble) HONK HOOONK" and you're constantly having to swing that volume control.
I keep squeaking when going from D to C#!!!! It does it about have the time. The instrument is in good shape. I’m doing something wrong but can’t figure out what it is. Any suggestions????
I tried so many techniques in my playing days almost 20 years ago and could never hit altissimo register notes. My main issue was difficulty hitting high E & F using alternate fingerings. I could only ever get them with the palm keys.
Hi Jay, my apologies, I tried 5 times to download the altissimo fingerings worksheet, either it wouldn't download or I can't find it. I did download and print succesfully the first time about two weeks ago, but this time I can't do it. Am I doing anything wrong? I have endless trouble succesfully downloading and printing anything on my computer. Any suggestions? Really like your videos. Thanks
I’m struggling! I have been doing this for a long time and can play palm keys w ease. I just can’t seem to get G out unless I cheat by pulling on the side E key to narrow the whole while playing altissimo G. Sometime I think I’ve learned how to play the high G without cheating and then a drop of water that was assisting my by closing that side E will fall out and then I can’t play G anymore … I was even thinking to just bend the side E key to open more narrowly allowing me to always hit altissimo G. But then when water/spit drops from that Side E whole I can’t play front palm E clearly . I’m very frustrated
Without reading so much comments here below in one ore more where possibly this is already pointet out I recomend strongly to adjust front-F-buton on the saxophone in the way that while pressing it (by index finger of course), the high-F-key is opening just a tiny little bit wich is bringing out high G very much easier. There for one might have to change the fingerings for high E(+G#little finger), F, F# a bit. I got this suggestion from Eugene Rouseau´s book "Saxophone high tones" as well as from saxrepairmen around here (Zürich).
Hey I’m trying to download the worksheet but I’m having trouble navigating to the part of the website that has that, I’m currently on the page that has 8 quick altissimo tips and altissimo fingerings one which indeed has the fingerings but neither has the practice worksheets
I can play altissimo on alto quite well. But on the tenor I am really struggling. That fingering you show doesn't work for me. I start with the F# but when I lift the right-hand index finger it still sounds F#.
I guess we could consider any note above high F on any of the saxophones is the first altissimo note of that sax. In that case, close to an octave is fairly doable, especially chromatically and slowly (although the G# on tenor is really annoying lol) and oh that god forsaken E and F that are an octave above high E.🤯. I agree that there is so much more to work on than altissimo. If I want to work on playing a tune that hits a few altissimo notes that I feel I could do, I’ll work on consistency for those, but I gave up on serious altissimo work. The altissimo notes Coltrane hits on his So What solo come to mind. And there’s a Lou Donaldson tune that the title somewhat escapes me at the moment, but there’s an arpeggiation lick in the key of A that he works in the altissimo range that’s cool as well.👨🏻
My high G fingering on alto is probably one of the most awkward ones out there. Front F+ Side A# + Side F#. It does seem to be the only one that works for me.
Can I please ask, what make and model of saxophone are you playing? I ask only because I've wasted thousands on dud saxophones that are not altissimo friendly and I need to get one that is.
I was playing in high school in the 70’s and college in the 80’s. I had an instructor teach me altissimo. I even still have the fingering chart I drew for the notes. It was quite an eye opener. However, I studied engineering rather than music and though I was still active in the college jazz band and concert band (and marching band, hockey band, etc.) I never progressed with altissimo. It really takes a lot of dedication to master it. Right now, inspired by “Better Sax,” I’m taking the sax up again and maybe someday I’ll crack the altissimo again, but I’ll be happy if I can consistently coordinate my fingers and tongue on chromatic scales for now! And I think my 42 year old MkVII will need an overhaul before I can expect to reliably play altissimo.
Hay jay, can you post a video on how to reduce spit while playing alto saxophone?, Cruz something after 10 minutes playing, to he mouthpiece is all watery, and it pretty much effects the sound, thanks a million
It's a common problem for beginner players and will happen to most people starting out until they learn to "spit" less while playing. What you can do is suck the air in while the mouthpiece is in your mouth, sounds gross but that way you suck out most of the moisture buildup in the mouthpiece. Even pro players do that sometimes.
Don't know how long you have been doing youtube videos, but wished I would have had these videos prior to being a music school drop out. You're videos are awesome! Even though I don't play anymore, I watch and enjoy them.
Your horn's octave mechanism is weird... Technically, high F# is not an altissimo note if your horn has a side F# key. I also think that notes above F# are instrument-dependent and should not be learnt unless you are playing an instrument that you intend on keeping for life. I would also recommend using the side F# with the fork fingering on tenor instead of your fingering (or the side Bb one that you suggest for alto) for getting the high F# out, because it seems to produce a far more stable tone (almost identical to the palm-key fingering). Above the F#, it seems to be just a matter of going through every possible fingering you can find until you come across one that works on your instrument. Reed strength seems to be important too (at least for me). I have never been able to play above high E with anything weaker than a "broken-in" 3.5. Also, I would recommend starting altissimo with A instead of G. Altissimo G and G# are extremely unstable notes on most instruments. Having a tuner is a must-have too, in my opinion.
why teachers cannot be just like you? you are not trying to impress with BS like many do, there are those who try to be funny but they are not, and there are those showing that they know so much, they may even know perhaps but who cares they are not here to show off they are supposed to teach. anyway there something about you that is simple an genuine and just fits you to be my kind of teacher. thank you
Maybe I'm looking at it all wrong but the Downloaded pdf has both alto and tenor fingering charts from E up to G, but the music notation looks like it's for tenor only. I think the altissimo for alto would be placed an octave higher on the staff? Would be nice to see the alto altissimo notes above the tenor notes. Maybe use a different color or simply label them. Overall, it is helpful but my Yamaha behaves differently than my Bundy alto so different (alternate) fingerings work better on them.
Hi Jay, Thanks for the great video! Behind the download link you included at the end, there seems to be only a page with fingerings on it, but not a work sheet which you mention in your video. In there a chance to get this work sheet? Thanks in advance. BR, Michael
Hi Jay I really enjoy your videos however I found this video a but confusing . If you had shown the fingering on the Saxophone for each note that would have been bit better. Take it easy Royston UK.
I've been trying this for about a week now, and I can play up to the G consistently, but I always have to scoop up to it, I can't just play it. Do you have any tips that might help me?
Been playin' since '61. Played literally thousands of horns; each horn has it's own personality...what may work on one horn might not work on another. Remember that the higher the note is, the slower the air stream. This is the law of "the controlled leak". This is the function of your register key, to move the air slower, creating a "leak". Another thing that helps regulate your speed is by thinking the syllables "ahh" "EEE" or "eh". Rosemary Lang, (Lang publications), has a book, called altissimo register for the sax, but it may be out of print. You may need to do alot of experimentation. Older horns need more experimentation as they were built to a lower tuning spec of "a-435". Newer one's are tuned to "a-440" and some even a-442 in the European market. your horn will need to be in top shape to play them. If you suspect pad leaks, you can acquire an inexpensive LED battery powered leak lite at Wal-mart for about ten bucks. It's made by GE. I keep it in my case if I have trouble at a gig. If I can help anyone out you can email me @ gzimmer12453agmail.com. I was also a tech for 45 years.
Hunter, hear the note in your head first as though you were playing it. You are scooping the note because your brain is telling you that you have to do that to get it out. There's a lot of mind over matter in altissimo playing. Try holding long tones on the G with a nice relaxed embouchure. Keep working on it and it will come. give it more time.
I don’t want to sound negative, but I’m practicing and practicing and nothing is changing. So how can I make this work if I can’t even get a correct sound once. Am I not only just practicing not getting it, or practicing wrong? This altissimo is beyond frustrating 😩
BTW - The pentatonics patterns course is great. I'm going through it and really enjoying it. I like the cut to the chase method of getting to where I can play rockin' solos. Thanks bro. Well worth the price of the course.
*_Leo P Wants To Know Your Location_*
Yeet Inc. good one but he plays baritissimo
Kaleb James it still was a good one
I straight up came from the video of Leo P at the BBC proms
Kaleb James you mean baritone? BarAtissimo is a subway sandwich
Bark Simpson it’s a joke
I tried Altissimo G on Alto and I endeded up reaching a Altissimo C
Well, you hit the next overtone series ;)
Good job tho
Baritone Saxophone for bari I use the leak key as altissimo a🤣 I have a yanigasawa tho
I did too, I think. it may have not been C, but I went higher than I should.
I have a leaky pad that makes my altissimo G an altissimo B
Me watching this a day before I even start playing tenor
Practice!
I *might* get an alto sax this summer, but I don't even know
Lol same
hey guys switched to bari this year 😗
@@dniym-vw5mp that’s so cool! I’m happy that you stuck to saxophone (:
This has to be one of the best tutorials on altissimo and the high G given here works like a charm on my alto. Thank you, Jay
I played alto sax in high school band back in the '60s, and although I never had lessons, decades ago I stumbled across Sigurd Rascher's "Top Tones" book, but could never figure out how to do more than a couple overtones on the low Bb. From the '90s I slowly learned by trial and error in weekly church worship band rehearsals to do simple improv on alto and then tenor. Last year (at age 65), I found Jay's pentatonic courses, and committed to practice at least 15 minutes every day. I also took his advice on doing just a bit of overtone work in each practice session. After about three months, it just started to click and I started finding the altissimo notes. However, it's taken patience for a year to get to where I can now RELIABLY play all the altissimo notes on Jay's fingering chart and I'm getting close to actually using them live. It's basically the brain, the air flow, and the inner mouth muscles and tongue figuring out what they need to do to produce each note. For me, the proper positioning of the tongue along with that high intensity puff of air from the diaphragm to get the reed vibrating the overtone immediately is key. Practicing the overtones daily will help your body figure out what needs to happen for those higher tones. It's definitely NOT biting. And the correct hardness of the reed for the mouthpiece is also an important factor. Right now I'm having the most success on my tenor with a Vandoren V16 T7 mouthpiece and a Legere 2 1/4 reed. For daily altissimo practice, I love the consistency of the synthetic reed. So don't give up! You can crack the code!
Sounds like you’re getting the reward for sticking with it over the long term.
@@bettersax Thanks, Jay. Your courses, regular videos (you went the extra mile with that Rigotti reed video!), and the Anytune Pro+ app for slowed down repetitive rehearsals of challenging licks have revolutionized my practice time. It's taken months for me to learn your Amazing Grace improv tiny piece by tiny piece, but when I first heard it I said "I need to learn that!" Through that piece I've learned fingering habits to facilitate clean playing of faster licks that I wish I'd learned decades ago.
Im kind of knew to the saxophone scene but.im getting better a lot faster that expected. Do you think with your experience that I should go for a better mouthpiece
As always - an excellent tutorial on the subject! Finally starting to get those high notes. Thanks Jay, it really helps.
Is the octave key supposed to open on the neck when playing front E? I can get the front F but not front E.
No the octave key stays down when you use the third finger in the left hand (G)
I realize I'm two years late to this party, but... The one thing I find very helpful, that you didn't mention, is being able to "audialize" the notes you want to play. That is, you should be able to hear, in your mind's ear, the notes you're trying to play. Even with the fingerings, altissimo notes don't just pop out. You have to know what the note should sound like, and be able to adjust your embouchure and throat to make it speak. The long tones help train your muscle memory to be able to reproduce it on demand. (disclaimer: I've played or ~29 years, but I'm still just an amateur)
Did you mean audiate?
@@BrunoNeureiter Listen to the pitch in your head. It's the MOST important thing when singing or playing a brass instrument, it's slightly less important on woodwinds, but since altissimo deals with harmonics you really wanna imagine the pitch in your head (or audiate).
I completely agree " You have to think that note you want to play on the right pich ",
just like with overtones.
I hit altissimo G on the tenor for the first time while watching this video for the first time!!! Thank you so much for the insight! Been trying for over a year.
You are by far the most helpful instructor that I have found here on TH-cam so far. Thanks so much for your work and knowledge sharing, your videos help me immensely. I owe much of my duo's success to your digital mentorship! I'm starting to get my altissimo out thanks to this one! :)
+Traven Michaels That means a lot to me. It's very rewarding to hear feedback like that.
i agree... some videos tell its a piece of cake to do altissimo.. but no.. its hards
Traven: I agree.
You should try saxophone academy ( not saying Jay is bad he’s great)
So I play on Tenor Saxophone. I get up to high F and E perfectly fine without the palm keys. High F on the tenor is Concert Eb5 and High F# should be Concert E5. That doesn't happen for me because I go from High F to High F#, but it sounds more like Concert Eb5 to Concert C6. Does this happen to anyone else or am I just really really "lucky"?
I have several of the Better Sax courses and practice them daily. These are some of, if not the best courses for building solid core skills. I consider myself an intermediate level player and I still get a ton of great workouts from the pentatonic and improv courses. So I have to believe the info in this video and on the the worksheet will be helpful as well.
+Craig Miller Thanks! great to hear from you.
Front E - 2:44
Front F - 4:08
Front F# - 7:13
Front G - 9:42
I don't even play saxophone I play trumpet why am I watching this?
lmfao probably procrastinating cause youre afraid of your emotions
@@ckvlzlvxch No bcuz I'm lazy
I just got a sax yesterday and have been having so much fun learning. I have been soaking in so much info from so many different people, and they are all great. Your stuff seems to be on another level though. I already signed up for the beginner course and the crash course (got the pentatonic scale memorized and looking forward to the next video) and I can see myself getting really stuck in and getting better. Keep up the great work!
Thx for the lesson, really helpful! I finally found m G:)
Я всё ещё ищу и ищу😱🤣
I’ve been playing saxophone for a long time maybe 50 years professionally, and I recently changed from a hard rubber to a metal mouthpiece and suddenly I can get all the Altissimo notes but I couldn’t connect them until I did what you suggested of learning the front keys as opposed to the Palm keys. This allowed me to immediately connect all the notes from high E to the C above that. Now I need to check out the more in tune fingerings.
thank you so much, great stuff!
Great!
Hi, I've got a Tenorsax Selmer Mark VI (SerieNr. 164XXX), and the fingering doesn't work to play high G. I am familiar with sharp f, but I use the "Alto-fingering " on my tenorsax. Do you have any suggestions for me to try other fingerings? Thanks and many greetings from Switzerland!
This was a big help! I am playing in Rocky Horror Picture and my parts on tenor are just filled with altissimo notes!
ive been trying to figure out how to play altissimo f# (fourth space above the staff) and my director is brass player so altissimo notes are not his speciality, im really hoping this f# works for my recital coming up which is My Heart Will Go On, scary high notes lol.
I’m confused, when I follow along with the fingerings in the video my sax plays a different note. I’m able to find the matching note but with different fingerings.. I’m new to the sax so I don’t know why this is… I have played clarinet for two years so I know how to make the sound, but am confused as to why my notes are different
I'm a bit stuck. I can get alt G no problem and have been using it for a year now but I can't get any notes higher than that. It feels like starting all over again. I try to hear the note in my head that im aiming for and have tried various fingerings but it just doesn't happen. Great lessons Jay. Thanks.
Les, check out the Overtones video I just published. This is the thing you need to practice to go to the next level.
Thanks Jay, will take a look.
I owe you a debt of gratitude for this,I`ve been pinching for 30 years,always knew it was not correct b/c the overtones weren't present...I practicing according to your instruction here...need to get the "plaid" out but it`s coming..thanks again man..
Great lesson, thank you so much! 😀
I had no problems playing altissimo on tenor saxophone
This is the best video on altissimo I have seen. Great work Jay!
Thank You Dan.
What horn do you play? And also can you make a vid on the notes above G. I can play fine up to G but everything above that note is a mess
I think it's a yanigasawa
Yeah, I have been getting out several altissimo notes on tenor quite consistently. But not G, though. So this will help. Thanks a lot.
Does this work on soprano and Bari too? I’m also a tenor tho so this was very helpful
I MUST TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR GOOD LESSONS! BEFOR,WNEN I WAS YUNGRE I PLAYED ON PIANO AND FLURE.WHEN I WAS 33 YEARS OLD I VE BAYED MY FIRST SAX B@S -GERMANY.AND I UNDERSTAND,THAT TENOR SOUND IS MY SOUND! AND I GO FOREWORD,TO BE BETTER DAY BY DAY! YOU ARE AN GOOD TEACHER!THANKS AGAIN!
Thank you very much for the video. I especially appreciate the last tip, ie. to work on something else and be better at it first. Horse before the cart. However, this Altissimo bugger is driving me crazy. As soon as I drive past the F#, I hit the ceiling, and I wanted the G and G#. Various fingering charts I tried ended up with indifferent results. The reason is explained in this video. Because I am so attached to the Palm keys to hit the F#, to suddenly change all that finger positions for G and G# become a chaotic event. The author's suggestion to abandon the Palm keys and use the front keys makes much sense. It is a paradigm shift, but I believe it is a worthwhile investment.
I love your lessons, ever since I fell in love with the sax, I have followed your classes. Thank you for all your advice. 😊
Lately ive been having so much trouble play the altissimo range on the clarinet and ive just tried playing the notes on my tenor sax and they seem quite easy 🤷♂️
hey man! thanks for the instructions. I'm trying to hit altissimo E using the f key but pressing down button #3 covers the top octave hole. I'm able to hit altissimo F# easily though. What do you think is the problem?
Im using a Yamaha 4C and seem to be getting no where with altissimo. is the mouthpiece the problem Jay?
If it is, it is only a small part of the problem. While you should upgrade at some point to a better mouthpiece, that alone will not get the altissimo notes out right away. It takes time on any mouthpiece so be patient and watch my other videos on the subject.
Thank you for this video. I’m a professional clarinettist, needing to improve my sax skills for an upcoming show. Finally got the feeling in embouchure needed for altissimo after watching your tutorial 😊
Jay, you are a dear man with the heart of a true teacher.
Love You , u are wonderful 🎷🎷🎶
Wow. What a great video. I've struggled with these high notes for years! This video really simplified and clarified what I need to do differently! Thanks so much. I'll let you know how it works out for me.
Lenny Pickett, anyone? Thank you for the lesson. Very informative.
As usual a very helpful and well explained lesson Jay. Don't know how you managed to publish it in the middle of Thanksgiving celebrations. If that ain't called dedication, I don't know what it is :)
+Thierry Martin Thanks, I'm burning the candle at both ends!
The lessons have helped so much
Interesting video, but I'm still trying to grasp the technique. Is altissimo possible without the front F key?
yes it is. The only notes that use the front F key are F# and G. There are alternate fingerings for both of those that don't use the front F key.
@@bettersax Thanks. My two favorite saxes I play, an alto and a tenor, do not have a front f key. I started playing them nearly 50 years ago, but have never figured out how to get an altissimo G. I can reliably get F#, A, C# and D using my own experimentation. Do you have an alternate fingering for G?
Thanks :) My old horn has no F# key and this fingering combo works for the F# (severl do) but not the high G.
I know this came out 2 years ago, if you find yourself every replying does the alto also work for Bari Sax? Or is their a Bari Sax one somewhere else online, I am trying to spend my summer practicing Overtones and Altissimo before I go back to school? If you find this and reply, that would be great and thank you :)
I play mainly the same fingerings on bari for altissimo as I do on alto.
@@bettersax Ok, Thank you so much!
PLEASE Help. When I try to download your attachments, I get the fingering chart but can't get the exercises. I don't know what I am doing wrong. I love all your videos by the way. Thanks so much for helping us by sharing your expertise.
Nice balancing between voice and sax. Too many other instructional vids are "(mumble mumble) HONK HONK (mumble mumble) HONK HOOONK" and you're constantly having to swing that volume control.
I keep squeaking when going from D to C#!!!! It does it about have the time. The instrument is in good shape. I’m doing something wrong but can’t figure out what it is. Any suggestions????
I tried so many techniques in my playing days almost 20 years ago and could never hit altissimo register notes. My main issue was difficulty hitting high E & F using alternate fingerings. I could only ever get them with the palm keys.
Hi Jay, my apologies, I tried 5 times to download the altissimo fingerings worksheet, either it wouldn't download or I can't find it. I did download and print succesfully the first time about two weeks ago, but this time I can't do it. Am I doing anything wrong? I have endless trouble succesfully downloading and printing anything on my computer. Any suggestions? Really like your videos. Thanks
I’m struggling! I have been doing this for a long time and can play palm keys w ease. I just can’t seem to get G out unless I cheat by pulling on the side E key to narrow the whole while playing altissimo G. Sometime I think I’ve learned how to play the high G without cheating and then a drop of water that was assisting my by closing that side E will fall out and then I can’t play G anymore …
I was even thinking to just bend the side E key to open more narrowly allowing me to always hit altissimo G. But then when water/spit drops from that Side E whole I can’t play front palm E clearly . I’m very frustrated
Without reading so much comments here below in one ore more where possibly this is already pointet out I recomend strongly to adjust front-F-buton on the saxophone in the way that while pressing it (by index finger of course), the high-F-key is opening just a tiny little bit wich is bringing out high G very much easier. There for one might have to change the fingerings for high E(+G#little finger), F, F# a bit. I got this suggestion from Eugene Rouseau´s book "Saxophone high tones" as well as from saxrepairmen around here (Zürich).
Bro u r the best you have always helped me when I needed help and I play better every time I see ur vids thanks alot
I don’t see the link for the worksheet in the description
https;//BetterSax.com/shed
Thank you so much I can hit double alt A's now
Hi, New saxophonist here, when I play mine, it sounds different from yours, it’s like I’m playing another key, am I still getting it right?
Sir How to growl on saxophone with easy tricks
Hey I’m trying to download the worksheet but I’m having trouble navigating to the part of the website that has that, I’m currently on the page that has 8 quick altissimo tips and altissimo fingerings one which indeed has the fingerings but neither has the practice worksheets
I can play altissimo on alto quite well. But on the tenor I am really struggling. That fingering you show doesn't work for me. I start with the F# but when I lift the right-hand index finger it still sounds F#.
I guess we could consider any note above high F on any of the saxophones is the first altissimo note of that sax. In that case, close to an octave is fairly doable, especially chromatically and slowly (although the G# on tenor is really annoying lol) and oh that god forsaken E and F that are an octave above high E.🤯. I agree that there is so much more to work on than altissimo. If I want to work on playing a tune that hits a few altissimo notes that I feel I could do, I’ll work on consistency for those, but I gave up on serious altissimo work. The altissimo notes Coltrane hits on his So What solo come to mind. And there’s a Lou Donaldson tune that the title somewhat escapes me at the moment, but there’s an arpeggiation lick in the key of A that he works in the altissimo range that’s cool as well.👨🏻
My problem is finding a place to practice Altissimo .The neighbors are very quiet and very ,very nice.
Common problem. Nobody wants to listen to someone practicing altissimo.
@@bettersax I used to hop into my car to drive two miles to the causeway crossing over the river, to practise in the car late at night.
@@ashreeder9156 ok now that's epic
I love your video, but the thing is when i go from F to F# it makes a very annoying screech sound like *DIIIIIIII*, how do i make it go higher?
Many thanks for this video! It unlocked my alto saxophone for me!
I really only have problems with G, but the tricks just don't work. what should I do?
My high G fingering on alto is probably one of the most awkward ones out there. Front F+ Side A# + Side F#. It does seem to be the only one that works for me.
Can I please ask, what make and model of saxophone are you playing? I ask only because I've wasted thousands on dud saxophones that are not altissimo friendly and I need to get one that is.
is there a special way to get the correct sound. When i play front e it sounds like a train horn
everyone’s support in the comments convinced me to subscribe 🙌
Am I the only one that sounds like really high pitched? (I’m play alto btw)
I've played the sax since I was 11 to college and I never heard of "Altissmiso ". Damm!!
I'm going to keep watching your vids!!
You must have never looked up advanced videos or hung with advance players
This was back in the '70's dickwad!! Before youtube!!
@@klop123rt you're a jerk
I was playing in high school in the 70’s and college in the 80’s. I had an instructor teach me altissimo. I even still have the fingering chart I drew for the notes. It was quite an eye opener. However, I studied engineering rather than music and though I was still active in the college jazz band and concert band (and marching band, hockey band, etc.) I never progressed with altissimo. It really takes a lot of dedication to master it.
Right now, inspired by “Better Sax,” I’m taking the sax up again and maybe someday I’ll crack the altissimo again, but I’ll be happy if I can consistently coordinate my fingers and tongue on chromatic scales for now! And I think my 42 year old MkVII will need an overhaul before I can expect to reliably play altissimo.
In alto sax.If we press which keys, the octave crook key does not go up?
Wow, a whole new world opens up with these high E and high F fingerings, great. Thanks!
Hay jay, can you post a video on how to reduce spit while playing alto saxophone?, Cruz something after 10 minutes playing, to he mouthpiece is all watery, and it pretty much effects the sound, thanks a million
It's a common problem for beginner players and will happen to most people starting out until they learn to "spit" less while playing.
What you can do is suck the air in while the mouthpiece is in your mouth, sounds gross but that way you suck out most of the moisture buildup in the mouthpiece. Even pro players do that sometimes.
Ill work hard to just start with This :0 love ur vids :))
That’s the *only* fingering that works for my mkVI!
Don't know how long you have been doing youtube videos, but wished I would have had these videos prior to being a music school drop out. You're videos are awesome! Even though I don't play anymore, I watch and enjoy them.
Thanks!
I always end up going way higher than G for some reason 😢
Great!! Thank you so much.
Hey Jay, I followed the download instructions a couple of times but nothing downloads after confirming my email address.
Tex send me an email and we will sort you out...
How can I get the your video and altissimo fingering chart?
muchas gracias! me sirven mucho tus clases!! Excelente forma de enseñar!
I enjoy every lesson. Many other tutorials confuse me alot. Thanks for your patience I really value your expertise.
I'll be doing this soon. Thank you. Very clear.
What about Overtones? Voicing? Talk about throat/tongue/embouchure position? Just get Sinta's book called Voicing.
Your horn's octave mechanism is weird...
Technically, high F# is not an altissimo note if your horn has a side F# key. I also think that notes above F# are instrument-dependent and should not be learnt unless you are playing an instrument that you intend on keeping for life. I would also recommend using the side F# with the fork fingering on tenor instead of your fingering (or the side Bb one that you suggest for alto) for getting the high F# out, because it seems to produce a far more stable tone (almost identical to the palm-key fingering). Above the F#, it seems to be just a matter of going through every possible fingering you can find until you come across one that works on your instrument.
Reed strength seems to be important too (at least for me). I have never been able to play above high E with anything weaker than a "broken-in" 3.5.
Also, I would recommend starting altissimo with A instead of G. Altissimo G and G# are extremely unstable notes on most instruments.
Having a tuner is a must-have too, in my opinion.
For my horn the F# works with “ fork” fingerings.
why teachers cannot be just like you? you are not trying to impress with BS like many do, there are those who try to be funny but they are not, and there are those showing that they know so much, they may even know perhaps but who cares they are not here to show off they are supposed to teach. anyway there something about you that is simple an genuine and just fits you to be my kind of teacher. thank you
Maybe I'm looking at it all wrong but the Downloaded pdf has both alto and tenor fingering charts from E up to G, but the music notation looks like it's for tenor only. I think the altissimo for alto would be placed an octave higher on the staff? Would be nice to see the alto altissimo notes above the tenor notes. Maybe use a different color or simply label them. Overall, it is helpful but my Yamaha behaves differently than my Bundy alto so different (alternate) fingerings work better on them.
i need to get to high c in 5 months
wish me luck
I love playing D by fingering a G, and blowing to the next harmonic overtone. It's very reliable, and I love the sound.
5 minutes after i tried the exercises i got to altissimo g
Hi Jay,
Thanks for the great video!
Behind the download link you included at the end, there seems to be only a page with fingerings on it, but not a work sheet which you mention in your video. In there a chance to get this work sheet?
Thanks in advance. BR, Michael
Hi Jay I really enjoy your videos however I found this video a but confusing . If you had shown the fingering on the Saxophone for each note that would have been bit better. Take it easy Royston UK.
Hi Great video....any chance you could provide the fingerings for C# up to E altissimo? Many thanks
Haha where’s the book ? All I see is promo garbage
I've been trying this for about a week now, and I can play up to the G consistently, but I always have to scoop up to it, I can't just play it. Do you have any tips that might help me?
Been playin' since '61. Played literally thousands of horns; each horn has it's own personality...what may work on one horn might not work on another. Remember that the higher the note is, the slower the air stream. This is the law of "the controlled leak". This is the function of your register key, to move the air slower, creating a "leak". Another thing that helps regulate your speed is by thinking the syllables "ahh" "EEE" or "eh". Rosemary Lang, (Lang publications), has a book, called altissimo register for the sax, but it may be out of print. You may need to do alot of experimentation. Older horns need more experimentation as they were built to a lower tuning spec of "a-435". Newer one's are tuned to "a-440" and some even a-442 in the European market. your horn will need to be in top shape to play them. If you suspect pad leaks, you can acquire an inexpensive LED battery powered leak lite at Wal-mart for about ten bucks. It's made by GE. I keep it in my case if I have trouble at a gig. If I can help anyone out you can email me @
gzimmer12453agmail.com. I was also a tech for 45 years.
Hunter, hear the note in your head first as though you were playing it. You are scooping the note because your brain is telling you that you have to do that to get it out. There's a lot of mind over matter in altissimo playing. Try holding long tones on the G with a nice relaxed embouchure. Keep working on it and it will come. give it more time.
Am i the only one that saw somthing in the subtitles😅
I don’t want to sound negative, but I’m practicing and practicing and nothing is changing. So how can I make this work if I can’t even get a correct sound once. Am I not only just practicing not getting it, or practicing wrong?
This altissimo is beyond frustrating 😩
The High G and A have always been the easiest to play